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Thursday, March 29, 2018

Winter is, hopefully, over and it's time to repair the damage to dry winter skin.

Zoya has formulated a system to improve dry hands and body with the Zoya Hydrate and Heal System.

The idea is to spray your hands with the mist, massage into hands and/or body, and follow with the lotion.

I have tried this system and do enjoy the formulas of the spray and lotion. The scents are very light and pleasant. I tend to use whatever lotion that's on sale at the grocery, and I can definately tell Zoya s lotion is a lot better than what I have been using. Just using it one time improved my dryness, where I usually have to reapply my other lotion a few times to see improvement. This is my first experience with a spray before lotion, and it's a great combination.

The Zoya Hydrate and Heal System is really fantastic. The polishes I used in my picture are Zoya Lux and Jordan....speaking of, I did this mani using Jordan and I don't ever want to take it off!

Friday, March 16, 2018

Are you excited for spring? I know I am. Schools were just called out for snow, again, and the snow day excitement has worn off. So, c'mon spring!

I have the Zoya Thrive Collection for Spring 2018 to show you today! It's just what I needed to put me in a spring mood.

All of my swatches are shown in two easy coats. I did not have any problems with formula or application.

ZOYA DARBY

ZOYA LEISEL

ZOYA TRUDITH

ZOYA LEISEL OVER TRUDITH

ZOYA HARUKO

ZOYA BRANDI

ZOYA MONROE

I'm sure you can guess which one are my favorites: Haruko and Brandi! I'm really liking that Zoya is adding shimmer top coats in their collections. If you don't have Leisel or Leia in your topcoat collections, you really need them!

Wednesday, March 14, 2018

I have a pretty exciting product to show you today! Polygel is a fairly new product that you've probably been seeing all over social media, and my favorite gel brand, Madam Glam, has their own line!

I was lucky to be asked to sample/swatch their line of polygels, and I hope I convey a comprehensive review for you.

Polygel is a combination of both liquid and powder acrylics and LED hard gels. They are so light but still very strong. The formula comes in a premixed tube, so all you have to do is place it on the nail and glide it on. You don't have to work fast, just take your time to get the perfect application and cure!

I'll have my experience with the formula and application explained after my swatches.

This is not as sheer as the others. It's not pink, not nude, but a great combo of the two. I used this one as my experimental full set and got so many complements! If I didn't paint my nails so much, I would just use this and a top coat for daily wear.

A beautiful warm brown that will be a great nude shade for women of color!

I have been experimenting and wearing polygel since the first of February. While this is my first experience with polygel, I do have somewhat of a background in acrylics and hard gel.

APPLICATION

I had seen a few videos showing how incredibly easy and effortless it is applying polygel with dual nail forms. I've also seen these called pop its. That's not 100% accurate in my experience. You really have to develop your own technique when using the nail forms. There's a learning curve in eyeballing the amount you need. Too much product, and you have a squishy mess that gets around and under the nail that has to be cleaned up or filed to get it to your liking. Too little product and you have to go back over the nail to apply more product creating extra work. However, once you've practiced, figured out the perfect amount of product per nail, it is an amazing technique.

Regular nail forms are easy to use with this product. Once you have the form placed, you can take your time to sculpt out your perfect nail.

I like to combine both techniques. Dual forms work better on my thumb, middle, and ring finger. Then I use nail forms for my pinky and forefinger.

As with any other nail product, you have to prep your nails in order to have the optimal staying power. Here is a review linked to the Madam Glam website.

FILLS

I wore a set of nails long enough to do a fill in, and yes, it was really easy. I love how easy it is to manipulate the formula and file. It does take practice to get comfortable with filling in if you are not used to doing acrylic/hard gel/polygel.

REMOVAL

Filing polygel is really easy. I filed off the bulk with my e file, and then went back in to do the rest with a hand file. I did not have any damage to my natural nail!

Now that I have finished experimenting with polygel, I'm going to do an overlay to protect my natural nail to facilitate growth and prevent brackage. Nail extensions are pretty, but it's hard to unbuckle car seats! However, if you're a nail enthusiast that would like to wear a full set for a short time for social media pictures, use Madam Glam peel off base and pop them off when you're finished with your project! That's what I intend to do for nail art.